Premier League match delegates must measure pitches before every game to ensure the grass is no longer than 30mm.

"There is only a certain grass height that we now have to stick to," said a disbelieving Allardyce.

"It's never been too much of a problem for me that two teams play on a pitch that is the same for both of us, whatever the pitch might be. I don't know what the next thing is that we will be instructed to do. I just think that they take those small little things too far."

Welcome to the jungle: Gerrard still managed to net two penalties on Hammers' grass (Photo: Mike Hewitt)

But their captain then suggested the Londoners had waged a dirty tricks campaign to disrupt Liverpool, saying the dressing room was too hot, the Liverpool team coach had to park a mile away from the stadium and the pitch was too dry.

"I think they tried everything to upset us," he said.

But Allardyce responded: "I remember last year we were sadly done by a refereeing decision. They came and said the coach couldn't park where it should have parked, the changing rooms were too hot, the grass was too long. And they only managed to win with two penalties."

"It was a bit of a shame they got away with it last year - the result that they got - because we played ever so well. Hopefully we can repeat that this year and not give two penalties away.

"The most annoying thing was that we lost to them when we shouldn't have lost to them.

"But I think the bottom line is obviously they didn't have a good enough coach driver because everybody backs into the space that we leave for them, so clearly the coach driver was not Premier League standard!"